What Is This All About?

The Good Story is a movement in the body of Christ amongst professionals in the arts and technology who long for more. Through donation of time, talent and expertise, creative professionals are able to relieve the communication burden and equip missionaries and small ministries by supplying them with visual marketing pieces, training and on-field storytelling.

Who We Serve

We serve missionaries and small international ministries

… everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the gospel

Mark 10:29

We Are Looking For People To Join Us Who…

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are passionate followers of Jesus Christ and love His heart for the nations

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feel missional about their thinking but not necessarily called to the mission field

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believe that every tribe, tongue and nation must hear the good news of Jesus

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are looking for a place to be poured out in the kingdom with like-minded creatives

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believe the Great Commission is not a nice thought but the very heartbeat of God

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are a seasoned professionals in the arts or technology who desire to do more with the tools God has given them

Our Story

The Good Story is a vision that God put on our hearts over the last 15 years. By using our classroom of life experiences, we began to see that what God is calling us to is bigger than just us. It involves you too.

Ryan Portnoy

Co-founder

Ryan got his first real taste of Jesus’ heart for the nations in high school when he took a short term trip to an Indian reservation on the border of Canada. The only problem was that he couldn’t put words to the experience and didn’t realize the call at that time. That call laid dormant for nearly 15 years until he traveled to Nogales, Mexico, with his camera to document and serve in his God-given area of talent and expertise. In short, that trip changed him; and this time he had the words to match the experience. In the following years as he and Kelly began walking intimately alongside friends preparing for the mission field, the following few years, the Lord revealed a very strategic need for professional communication assistance. As Ryan used his design, web development, and photography skills to help their missionary friends as they raised support, the final piece of the puzzle to his calling fell into place. Although there were many more stops on the timeline (ie. marriage, family, work history, etc.), these experiences with Jesus and serving have been formative in preparing Ryan for the work that is The Good Story.

Kelly Portnoy

Co-founder

Although Kelly grew up celebrating something called “Missions Sunday” at her church once a year, she never really understood that the very heartbeat of the Bible and God’s intention for humanity from the beginning was that all men come to know, experience, and be enraptured by His love for them. It wasn’t until 1999 when she went to the slums of Mexico that she first realized that God is not American. He is all nations, all languages, and all skin colors. He is for all because He created all to be His image bearers. The following two years, she spent a total of six months living and ministering in Almaty, Kazakstan. Many short-term trips have followed. God unlocked a zeal for cross-cultural missions, and a passion for writing and documenting through photography the stories of kingdom work happening around the world, but no clear direction. Through the last ten years of marriage, ten years of being a professional photographer, nine years of being a mom to three children, and many years of personal ministry, God has shown Kelly her place and life calling, which is co-leading The Good Story with Ryan.